Walter Gretzky

Father of Wayne Gretzky (1938–2021)

Walter Gretzky, CM, OOnt (October 8, 1938 – March 4, 2021) was a Canadian ice hockey executive. He was best known as the father of Canadian ice hockey icon Wayne Gretzky.[1]

Walter Gretzky

Walter Gretzky in 2010
Born(1938-10-08)October 8, 1938
Canning, Ontario, Canada
DiedMarch 4, 2021(2021-03-04) (aged 82)
Brantford, Ontario, Canada
NationalityCanadian
Other names"Canada's hockey dad"
OccupationCable repairman
Spouse
Phyllis Hockin
(m. 1960; died 2019)
Children5, including Wayne, Keith and Brent

Walter was an installer and repairman for Bell Canada for 34 years, retiring in 1991. A work-related injury in 1961 put him in a coma and deafened his right ear.[2]

He helped charities and fundraisers and coached at his summer youth hockey camp in California.

Walter had worked for the CNIB Foundation (formerly the Canadian National Institute for the Blind).[3]

Gretzky died on March 4, 2021 in Brantford, Ontario from problems caused by a fractured hip at the age of 82.[4] He had Parkinson's disease at the time of his death.[5]

References

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  1. Wayne Gretzky Profile www.famoussportspeople.com/wayne-gretzky Archived May 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Walter Gretzky, Canada's hockey dad - CBC Archives". Retrieved 2021-03-05.
  3. "Remembering Walter Gretzky". CNIB. Retrieved 2021-03-05.
  4. "Walter Gretzky, Canada's greatest hockey dad, dead at 82". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. March 4, 2021. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  5. Stubbs, Dave (March 4, 2021). "Walter Gretzky dies at 82, father of Wayne Gretzky". NHL.com. Retrieved March 5, 2021.